


Until Death Do Us Part

by Parrillawow



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Outlaw Queen Angst Fest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 12:32:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15640836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Parrillawow/pseuds/Parrillawow
Summary: AU: Robin is terminally sick and Regina is with him in the hospital.





	Until Death Do Us Part

**Author's Note:**

> prompts used: 24, 42, 49
> 
> I'm really nervous to post this, so please be nice x
> 
> All mistakes are mine until my beta has gone through it, blame my procrastination 
> 
> disclaimer: All characters are owned by Once Upon A Time, I only own the storyline, please don't sue me, thanks. x

They have been battling this disease for 5 months. Each day he looks a little paler, a little less healthy, a little less Robin. Regina looks up at her husband who is connected to all these tubes and wires she doesn’t even know where each one starts and ends.

He is sleeping peacefully for the first time in days, the pain is getting too much for him to bear, but the stubborn man refuses to take any pain medication. He doesn’t want to miss a single second with her. Regina pleaded last night to please take something because she couldn’t stand the pain in his eyes any longer.

Wiping the tears from her eyes he agreed to take something to help him with the pain and to help him sleep again for a little while.

She is stroking his hand with his thumb, gazing lovingly at her husband. Regina hasn’t come to terms with the fact that it’s going to be any day now. He doesn’t have much longer and the doctors are already surprised he made it this far.

“It’s our soulmate connection.” He joked one time. They had this ongoing joke ever since they were 22 that they were actually soulmates. They are 36 now, fourteen years they have been together, 10 of which they are married.

They have 2 wonderful and bright children, Roland and Henry both are attending college right now but try to come over as much as they can to support their mother and father through this difficult time.

The hand that Regina is holding stirs underneath her, she knows he is waking up and somehow she can feel that it is time to talk about the big elephant in the room. Apart from doctors telling him how long he has left, neither Regina or Robin have addressed the fact that he is dying, and this isn’t a dream and soon there will be no Robin and Regina it will be just Regina.

Robin’s eyes flicker open and even the heavenly blue eyes that always twinkled in her presence are duller, less shiny, but still full of the same love in his eyes. He smiles at her and rasps a “Good morning” her way. His dimples are on display next to his hollow cheeks and protruding cheekbones.

She smiles back sadly and greets him as well. It’s now or never she thinks.

“Robin I think we need  to talk about what’s going to happen, we’ve been avoiding this for too long and every time you go to bed I don’t know if you’ll wake up again. Even if you live  more months we need to have this talk... I…. I… I don’t want to lose you too.” Regina starts sobbing but continues her speech. 

“I’ve lost so much already and I don’t want to say goodbye but I don’t want to wake up one day to find out you never will without saying goodbye. I love you Robin and it hurts to see you like this. I feel helpless, I want to help you but I can’t and it’s fucking unfair.” Regina voice raises and is getting angrier while she continues. 

“All I can give you is the best doctors in NYC and that’s what I’m doing but I want to do more and I can’t and it fucking hurts to see you _die_ over the past 5 months, Robin. You’ve been dying for 5 months and it’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt. And I feel like a brat because you are in so much pain yet here I am whining about another loss in my life, I should be used to it by now, shouldn’t I?” The brunette rants on while the tears continue to stream down her face. 

It’s silent for a few seconds neither know what to say anymore. Regina continues to cry quietly while Robin looks at her with sad eyes. He is causing her this pain and it is unfair she has been through enough already. He tries to reach out for her hand but she pulls away, not looking at him. 

“I’m so sorry.” He whispers, a few tears rolling down his own cheeks. 

“Robin, no, it’s not your fault!” Regina looks up at him, sees her own husband crying and reaches out for his hand and nuzzles it against her nose. His smell will always be the same, pinecone, woodsy, he smells a bit like forest really.

She looks up at him with his hand still clasped between hers. Looks into his eyes and just takes him in. Yes his skin is paler, yes he lost a lot of weight, but underneath that is still her soulmate. She chuckles to herself when she uses that term. He is her loving husband and what he needs is a little bit of comfort himself. He is dying and he _knows_ he is dying very soon yet they haven’t spoken about it once.

Determined to console the love of her life, Regina stands up and lets go of his hand. Robin looks up at her with fear in his eyes, scared that his little breakdown might have pushed his wife too hard and away from him. The look in his eyes only confirms that what he need is comfort and affection of his wife. 

He’s been in the hospital for 3 months and the only touching that they have done was a kiss on the lips and handholding. 

Regina looks at him and gives him a reassuring smile telling him she isn’t going anywhere without saying it.

“Scoot over, babe” Regina whispers with a smile on her face.”

Robin does as he is told and immediately holds his arms open for her to cuddle into. She shakes her head and tells him to scoot down a little as well. Confused Robin does what he is asked to do.

Regina climbs into bed with him but pulls his head on her chest and wraps her arms around his back. She wants to cuddle him, she wants to protect him in her arms for a while, at least while they have this conversation.

“ I’m scared, my love..” Robin whispers while he cuddles against Regina’s neck, wraps his arms tighter around her and tangles their legs together. He is so grateful for the physical contact he and his wife are having right now.

They are very affectionate and intimate people and the past 3 months have been torture to only feel her hand and the occasional peck on the lips.

“I know, I’m scared too, but I promise I will be here for the kids and I will always love you. I’ll be fine please, do not worry about me.” Regina whispers while she silently cries against his hair.

“I’m your husband, of course I worry about you and my children, it’s my job, Regina. Promise me one thing. Promise me you’ll find love again and you will let yourself be happy. Don’t spend the rest of your life alone in fear of getting hurt again. That’s what love is, it’s getting hurt but it’s also not being lonely and being loved. You deserve that Regina.” He shudders out a pained breath while a few tears roll down his cheek.

“I don’t want you to be lonely and unhappy, my love. I need you to move on, grieve me and remember me but don’t waste your life being sad for me. I’ve lived a good life, Regina. I have 2 wonderful and smart kids and I have the best wife anyone could imagine. Don’t cry when you think about me, smile because of our memories.” He finishes and listens to the heartbeat of his wife.

“I promise.” Regina chokes out while she hugs him tighter and kisses his hair.

“Thank you.” Robin looks up to his beautiful wife, moves on hand from her waist and puts it behind her neck and pulls her lips onto his. 

The kiss is nostalgic, even with death around the corner it contains a certain fire, a passion that they never lost over the course of being together for 14 years. Regina grabs the back of his head and pulls him or herself, who knows, closer. She kisses him back and is trying to say everything that she can’t say in words. 

He begs for entrance into her mouth and she is all too willingly giving it to him. This is a tale as old as time, a dance that they have perfected over the past 14 years. Tongues stroking each other in a slow and non-sexual way. This is comfort in such an intimate way only couples know how comforting it is.

They continue to kiss and memorize each other in every way. The smell, taste, feeling, noise, looks of one other are engrained in their memories. When they finally pull away, blue eyes meet brown and for a second they forget where they are. It’s just them and their eternal love and for a second Regina could have sworn his eyes looked a little more blue and alive.

Robin lays his head on her chest murmuring that he is tired while he nuzzles his nose into her collarbone.

Regina hugs him tight and strokes his back and gives him the occasional kiss on the hair or on the forehead.

Robin eyes flutter closed but he hears his wife murmur one last thing. 

“Please don’t go where I can’t follow”

“I promise, milady.” He whispers before sleep claims him.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------

 

Regina wakes up the following morning and she just knows something isn’t right. She is still holding Robin in her arms but she doesn’t feel the usual warmth he radiates off him.

Instead he feels cold. Not in a “I’m sick” kind of way. He feels uncomfortably cold and heavy. Regina shakes Robin trying to deny the alarm bells in the back of her mind.

“Robin, honey, wake up. Please Robin…. Robin! You have to wake up please, my love please!” She is begging and sobbing but she can’t get away with Robin’s weight on her. She looks around and screams that they need a doctor but she’s in a private room so no one is around.

Regina spots the red button at the side of the bed and starts frantically pushing the button. She screams and screams for help until the door burst open and doctors and nurses run through the door.

“Help him please, he isn’t waking up, he feels so cold, you can’t let him die, he is my husband!” Regina screams while the nurses pull her from underneath her husband. They are dragging her out of the room and she is kicking and screaming because that’s her fucking husband she wants to be with him. He needs her.

They drag Regina out of the room telling her to sit still while they go help her husband and see what is going on. The nurses run back into the room where at least 5 nurses and a doctor are tending to her husband 

Not even one minute later, they all exit the room quietly and walk the opposite way of Regina. Regina knows deep down what happened but she still refuses to accept it until she will hear it from the doctor himself. The doctor approaches her and she sees the sad and dreadful look on his face.

“I’m so sorry Mrs. Locksley but your husband passed away…” The doctor says more but all Regina hears is her ears ringing. Everything goes in slow motion when she falls to the ground and clutches her heart, because it hurts.

Her husband, the love of her life, the father of her children is dead. She knew this was coming but she didn’t think it was her last night with him. There are so many things she wants him to know and tell him for the last time. She wants to hold him one more time and smell his forest scent or see the light twinkle in his eyes

Fourteen years were not enough. Forever wouldn’t have been enough for her to spend with her husband, her one true love, her soulmate as they always joked about. Sitting here clutching her heart of the pain, the term soulmates doesn’t seem so farfetched.

In the distance she can hear her own voice ask if she can see her husband. The doctor confirms and leads her back to the room and says he’s going to give her some time alone and he will be back in 10 minutes.

Regina walks into the room on shaky legs. She sees her husband lying there, free of tubes, and monitors. He looks so peaceful, painless, fearless. It’s been a long time since she has seen her husband at ease.

The brunette walks up to her husband’s bed and sits down at the edge. She takes his hand and kisses his knuckles and for the last time nuzzles his hand into her nose and neck. 

When she lets go of his hand it falls open and there is a piece of paper that falls out of his hands. Regina bends over and picks it up. She puts in her pocket and decides to open it later, her time with her husband is limited she needs to spend it all with him.

Regina strokes his face lays her head on his cold chest. No heartbeat. Tears are streaming freely down her cheeks as she looks up and rest her chin on his chest. She keeps exploring his face memorizing every little detail.

After a while Regina leans up and gives him a soft last kiss. He doesn’t kiss back, when she realizes that she chokes back a sob and pulls away. Regina remembers their conversation from last night and whispers.

“I promise, Robin. I love you, always have and always will.”

She leans back as the emotions become too much and she is openly sobbing now, grieving the loss of her husband. 

The doctor walks in and Regina is escorted back home after filling in the necessary paper work that comes with someone dying. She goes straight to their bedroom and takes his jacket out of the closet.

She nuzzles the forest smell and suddenly realizes the tiny paper she found in his hand. Regina pulls it out of her pocket, it’s a small letter and starts to read it in his voice.

 

_Regina,_

_I woke up tonight cuddled into your arms, the pain has reached a high it never has._

_I believe that this is the end of me, I couldn’t wake you up, I didn’t want you to see me die._

_If you read this letter than I have indeed passed on to less pain._

_I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you and I’ve loved you until my last._

_You’re the most amazing beautiful wife, friend, lover, mother I was blessed to be with._

_I may not be there anymore physically but Regina, I’ll always be with you._

_You will carry me in your heart and I will look over you until you are ready to join me._

_And milady, let me be clear I don’t want to see you for the next 50 years._

_I hope you will honor your promise to me, as I will hold mine to you._

_Our adventure was short but not any less epic, but now it has come to an end._

_I believe in you, you have such a big heart don’t let it go to waste._

_So, are you ready for a new adventure?_

_Yours forever and always,_

_Robin_

 

Regina finishes reading the letter while she lays on her bed clutching his jacket to her chest. She takes a look around and takes a trip down memory lane. Their first meeting, their first kiss, their wedding, the birth of both children. She looks at her bed and blushes thinking about the memories she has with him there, well, if she’s being honest. She has those kind of memories in the entire house. 

She walks around the house looking at pictures of their family vacations and Christmasses and she is filled with a feeling of comfort. She’s not alone and will never be alone, not with Robin in her heart and soul. He is by her side right now, Regina can feel it. She takes a deep breath, looks at her wedding ring and goes back upstairs.

Regina lays down on his side of the bed, cuddling in the sheets, pillow and jacket that smell like him. She closes her eyes and right before sleep claims her she whispers with a smile on her face.

 “Yes, Robin, I’m ready for a new adventure.”

**Author's Note:**

> TW: death  
> 


End file.
